


I'm not gonna stand in your way, but I loved her first

by killianslonghaul



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 08:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2845139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killianslonghaul/pseuds/killianslonghaul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Request from Tumblr where Charming and Snow find out about Emma and Killian, post 3x22. Captain Swan, Captain Charming, and a whole lot of other Charming family feelings that include Killian. Basically 3k words of cavity giving fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm not gonna stand in your way, but I loved her first

**_and he is good, so good_ **   
**_he treats your little girl like a real man should_ **   
**_and he is good, so good_ **   
**_he makes promises he keeps_ **   
**_no he’s never gonna leave_ **   
**_so don’t you worry about me_ **

* * *

 

In most circumstances, two heads are better than one. It’s an age old fact that many agree with wholeheartedly. However, as David watches Killian try to figure out how to get Neal to stop crying while he attempts to make the upset infant a bottle, he _swears_  that  _someone,_   _somewhere_  did not add that up quite right.

Snow leaves him with the baby for a day to spend time with Emma, and surprisingly enough (or maybe not surprisingly enough, if he lets himself think about it too long), the one handed pirate was the only person willing enough to help.

"Okay, here," David says, handing Killian the bottle long enough to pick Neal up out of his crib and then taking it back. "There you go." 

Neal latches on to the bottle and both men breathe a sigh of relief. It’s been a long enough day already, and the moment of silence is well appreciated. 

"You know when the lasses are going to be back?" Killian asks casually after a moment, and David shrugs, glancing at the clock. 

"Hopefully soon. Any reason?" The question is innocent enough, but David watches closely for Killian’s reaction.

The pirate shakes his head. “Merely curious, mate.” 

David has the sense that he’s lying, just a little, but he shakes it off and doesn’t push any further.

So  _what_  if he thinks that Emma is acting differently toward Killian lately? Maybe he’s just paranoid. 

Maybe he’s wrong. 

David glances back over at Killian, who’s sitting down on the couch now and rubbing his temple. His left arm has only a brace on it, and that’s certainly a new development that he _must_  have missed along the way. The pirate also seems happier lately, a permanent smile and good attitude following him around.

Maybe he  _isn’t_  wrong.

Stranger things have happened, after all. 

_But wouldn’t she have told him_? 

————-

"Here, hold him for a minute." 

"Pardon?" 

David rolls his eyes skyward. “Here, just put his head in this elbow, and put your hand right here,” he says, instructing Killian, who feels as if he was just faced with a storm much more troublesome than the one they encountered their first night in Neverland. “There. You’ll be fine. I’m going to go get the little bear he likes so much and see if we can get him settled for a nap.” 

Killian nods, trying to decipher the right amount of pressure to put into holding the baby close (Too lightly and he may drop him, but too much and he may suffocate or hurt the lad — how do parents even  _do_  this?), and David heads down the hall, grumbling to himself about something. A chuckle escapes Killian’s lips as he looks down at the infant curled into his arms, whining softly but not crying, as he stares up at the world around him. The door opens behind him and he turns, smiling as Emma walks in the door, followed by her mother. 

The former offers him a soft smile, laced with affection, and his heart tugs in his chest. 

"Where’s David?" Snow asks, brushing a hand over her son’s cheek but not offering to take him away. 

"Looking for something in the lad’s room," Killian tells her, and then Snow has left in the direction that her husband had disappeared only a moment before. Emma’s grin brightens and she saunters over to him, first pressing a kiss to her little brother’s forehead and then standing on her tiptoes, bracing herself on his arm, to capture his lips in hers. 

"Hmmm," she murmurs against his mouth, giving him one more quick peck before lowering. She stays close, however, her hand staying on his arm and her head resting against his shoulder to watch Neal babble at his sister. 

"Lad’s going to have quite the mouth, it appears." He smirks at Emma, who is already rolling her eyes and stepping away from him.

"Make a single quirk about me or my mother and I’m not sleeping with you for a week," she whispers into his ear just as she pulls away. When he tilts his head at her, she raises an eyebrow in challenge, and he plays it safe, dropping the words on his tongue just as her parents re-enter the room. 

————

David feels like the nosiest person on the planet, but when he puts a finger to Snow’s lips and stands in the doorway of the living room, it’s all he can do not to whisper “I told you so” to his wife right then. 

Emma walks across to Killian, kissing both her little brother’s forehead and the pirate, who smiles down at her like she’s given him the world. It’s not much of a change in expression compared to what David is used to seeing, but there’s a new lightness to it, a happier air that surrounds him. Even newer, however, is the way Emma returns the expression. When Emma rests her head on his shoulder to watch her little brother, David can’t help the smile that stretches across his face. He looks over at Snow, who seems surprised.

When their eyes meet, he raises an eyebrow and she rolls her eyes at him, a smile pulling up the corners of her mouth. 

Later, when Snow asks him what he thinks (he thinks that  _maybe_  they should let her daughter know she doesn’t have to pretend not to be dating  _Captain freaking Hook_ ), he says he can’t really be angry, because Emma looks at Killian the same way Snow looks at him. It may not be the ideal picture he had in his head, but he can see she’s happy. 

So, he’ll just have to learn to accept it.

Begrudgingly, of course.

———

Her form is warm against him, her forehead pressed into his shoulder as they catch their breath. Her hand is splayed out just above his heart, which beatsin time with her own, and she feels him smile into her hair.

"I think… I think we can tell people now," Emma murmurs against his skin. "I don’t know how they’ll react, but…" 

Killian kisses her head, pulling her closer to him with an arm around her waist. “Whatever you want, love. I’m in no hurry to reveal our status, as long as it remains intact, of course.” 

She smiles, tracing a random pattern on his bare chest.  _I love you_  echoes in her mind, but she bites her bottom lip instead, fear constricting her chest even though it has no reason to. 

"You don’t have to worry about that," she whispers instead, and at the sound of contentment he makes, she relaxes. It’s enough.

For now.

———

It’s only a week later, sitting across from David as they eat lunch, that Emma sighs and twines her fingers together on the table. 

"You want me to be happy right?" she asks slowly, and David can see the direction they’re going in. He bites back his grin.

"Of course," he tells her, smiling gently in what he hopes shows encouragement. 

"Even if that… happiness is…" She takes a breath, already seeming to lean away from his response. "With Killian?"

He raises an eyebrow. “What are you saying, Emma?”

"We’re… together?" It comes out sounding like a question. 

David chuckles and puts his hand over hers. “I know.” 

"What?" Emma narrows her eyes at him, and he laughs again. 

"Me and your mother both figured it out a week or so ago." Emma has her lips pursed and she’s turned her gaze to the table as she contemplates this information. 

"She didn’t say anything when I told her." Her brows knit together and he can practically see her replaying a conversation and looking for any hints that her mother had previous knowledge.

"Huh. Really?" David makes a note to congratulate her for not letting information slip, an affectionate smile gracing his features. 

"I… I just don’t want you to be upset. I… I want you to approve of him."  _He deserves it._  David hears the words she doesn’t say, and he can see her nearly pleading, so desperate for him to accept this piece of her and the happiness it created.

"I don’t disapprove." He swallows. "Just… no one will ever be good enough. You know that, right?" 

Emma nods, seeming to think over something for a moment. “Did you know…” She pauses, and the corners of her mouth tip upwards. “Did you know he traded his ship to get back to me in New York?” 

Shock runs through his body, and he berates himself for not even noticing the absence of the ship. 

"I know, right?" Emma says in response to his expression. She takes a deep breath, and David swears she’s blinking back tears. "He gave up his home for me, for all of us." 

David swallows, looking down at the table as his brain races to process. Part of him feels the gratefulness that someone would go to those lengths for his daughter, but there’s a small part that practically begs him to be stubborn as well.

"I know that it might not be what you pictured for me, but…" She hesitates. "He loves me," She pauses, and David knows it’s true. He’s seen it and been witness to the way Killian Jones looks at his daughter. "He loves me more than I feel like I deserve."

"Do you love him?" And David meets her gaze now, because no matter what, that is the answer that matters. This is the response that is of the most importance.

She nods, and the smile that lights up her face is enough answer before she even speaks. “Yeah. I do.” 

"In that case," David says, standing up and pressing a kiss to her head. "I guess I better go tell the pirate that he’s welcome and that I’ll beat him within an inch of his life if he hurts you."

Emma laughs, the sound echoing through Granny’s. For a moment, he thinks she’ll argue, tell him not to scare the man she’s in love with, but when she grins and tells him, “Go ahead. It’s every father’s right,” he swears his heart  _soars_.

——-

It doesn’t take David long to find the pirate, who is with Henry on the shore, learning how to toss a Frisby. 

"It’s all about the wrist," David hears Henry instructing, demonstrating without letting go and then handing the disc back to Killian. His attempt doesn’t go very far, but it’s not the worst he’s seen for a beginner. He smiles despite himself, clearing his throat to make his presence known.

"Hey gramps," Henry chides, grinning at him. 

"Hey, champ. Mind if I talk to Killian for a second?" Henry glances at Killian and then nods. "Your mom is at Granny’s, if you want to go get some food." 

"Okay!" Henry smiles over at Killian. "I’ll see you, Captain." A small salute later and off he goes, leaving the two men alone.

"Emma talked to me today," David begins once Henry is out of earshot, tucking his hands into his pockets. 

"Did she?" Killian raises an eyebrow, but keeps a guarded expression.

Smart pirate.

"I know about you two." 

The guard drops almost immediately, and he nods. “She told me she was thinking of doing so. Are you here to strangle me and then toss me into the sea, never to be seen again?” 

David shakes his head, fighting against the smile that wants to pull up the corners of his lips. He is  _not_ laughing at that,  _no sir_. ”No. Unfortunately, I’m not sure my daughter would be too happy about that.” 

Killian smirks to cover his grin, but David doesn’t miss the affection that flits across his features.

"I’ll be honest, mate, I’m a bit concerned at where this is going to go." Killian actually does sound a little afraid, David notes. _Good_. “But you should know that your daughter means the world to me, and I’d do anything for her.” 

Images flash through David’s mind of a campfire with a prince he’d never heard of before, telling a tale of his affection for a princess whose name sounded strange. He remembers a conversation over a year ago where the Jolly Roger had been labeled as the pirate’s home, yet it no longer sits by the shores of Storybrooke.

He smiles just a little.

"I know, so you can relax." The man listens to his words, but still only relaxes slightly. "I know you gave up your ship for her." 

There’s a pause in which David can’t read the pirate’s expression as he turns away and stares out into the sea. For the briefest of moments, he simply looks lost. ”She told you.” 

David nods his head, speaking softly. “She did.” 

There’s another stretch of silence, and when Killian doesn’t say anything, David sighs.

"I know how much you love her, and she’s happy. That’s what matters to me." His voice is firmer now, trying to make eye contact to reiterate his point.

Slowly, Killian turns his head so that their eyes meet. ”I feel the same.” 

And David knows that it’s the truth, can see the love and affection that radiates from the pirate even when only  _speaking_  of the woman they both care so dearly for. 

"You gave up your home to save my daughter, to bring her to her home." He pauses, taking a breath. "So, I just want you to know that this is your home now, here with all of us. You belong here, too." 

Killian seems to struggle for a moment, closing his eyes as a breeze blows in off the ocean. When he opens his eyes, David swears there are tears there. “Thank you, mate.” 

A grin pulls up David’s lips, and it feels right when he caps the man in front of him on the shoulder. There’s a pause, and then Killian smirks. “I have a feeling we should hug this out, Dave.” 

David rolls his eyes and shoves at the shoulder he’s holding. “Don’t push your luck, pirate.” 

But he smiles anyway.

——-

"We’re here," Emma calls out into the loft as she enters, Killian and Henry both on her heels.

Snow comes into view first, giving Killian a soft smile. Then, surprising everyone, she wraps her arms around his neck in an embrace. When she pulls away, she pats Killian’s cheek with her hand before letting go.

Emma hides the way tears well up in her eyes at the sight by leaning down to pick Neal up off his blanket on the floor. The baby babbles at her when she presses a kiss to his cheek, his eyes wide and alert. She feels Killian come up behind her, his left arm against her hip when he reaches up to run a finger over Neal’s cheek. 

Her heart tugs in her chest, constricting almost painfully as an image of another baby, this one with blonde hair and blue eyes, flashes before her eyes. She swallows and presses her face into Killian’s shoulder, realizing with a sudden ache that she wants that picture to be  _real_.

"You alright, love?" Killian sounds concerned, and affection floods through her in a rush. His love is nearly  _tangible_  and it’s so much more than she ever imagined for herself, to have someone like that.

She smiles at him in what she hopes is assurance, reaching up with the hand not supporting her brother’s weight to run her fingers over the stubble on his cheek. His eyes are piercing, searching for any signs that something is wrong. Warmth spreads through her, stretching all the way to her fingertips and toes.

_Stupid, loving, pirate_.

"Yeah," she tells him, and as she looks around them at her family, at her  _home_ , she knows that she truly  _is_ , for the first time in a long time. “Never been better.” 

———

"That was so much fun." 

Emma nods, smiling at Henry as they all take off their coats and hang them on the rack by the door. Her stomach flips as she looks at them all sitting there, side by side, like they  _belong_  next to each other. 

Henry disappears into his room and Killian wraps his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her head. “What happened earlier, when we arrived at your parent’s loft? You almost seemed upset?” 

Swallowing thickly, Emma wraps her arms around him and rests her forehead against his shoulder. “I was just… holding my little brother like that and… you were behind me, and…” Her heart is racing in her chest, pounding so hard she thinks it might beat out of her body. “I was thinking that… I want that… with you.” 

There’s a silence, and she wants to look up at him but she’s terrified to, scared of how he might react. When his finger hooks under her chin and pulls her face up, however, he’s smiling down at her, the emotion on his face enough to stop her heart completely. 

"Really?" 

She nods without wasting a single second, her heart finally restarting and finding a rhythm that doesn’t ache. “Maybe not like, right now, but-“

His lips find hers before she can finish, a small gasp escaping her before she succumbs to his touch. It’s electrifying and warmth burns through her veins as she pulls his body even closer, holding on tightly for fear of falling if she doesn’t. 

"I love you," he breathes against her mouth when they part, and she knows it already, has heard the words in the way he talks to her and seen them in the way he looks at her. Regardless, her heart skips again, and she _swears_ , she’ll never maintain a normal heartbeat with him around. 

"I love you, too," she tells him, no fear keeping the words from escaping this time. "So much."

And when he kisses her again, her name a whispered prayer from his lips, it’s  _everything_ , all the  _love_ she never thought she would have, all the  _hope_  that she thought was forever lost for her, and all the  _home_  that she never imagined she would find.


End file.
